5,630 research outputs found
How generic are null spacetime singularities?
The spacetime singularities inside realistic black holes are sometimes thought to be spacelike and strong, since there is a generic class of solutions (BKL) to Einsteins equations with these properties. We show that null, weak singularities are also generic, in the following sense: there is a class of vacuum solutions containing null, weak singularities, depending on 8 arbitrary (up to some inequalities) analytic initial functions of 3 spatial coordinates. Since 8 arbitrary functions are needed (in the gauge used here) to span the generic solution, this class can be regarded as generic
Low-Complexity LP Decoding of Nonbinary Linear Codes
Linear Programming (LP) decoding of Low-Density Parity-Check (LDPC) codes has
attracted much attention in the research community in the past few years. LP
decoding has been derived for binary and nonbinary linear codes. However, the
most important problem with LP decoding for both binary and nonbinary linear
codes is that the complexity of standard LP solvers such as the simplex
algorithm remains prohibitively large for codes of moderate to large block
length. To address this problem, two low-complexity LP (LCLP) decoding
algorithms for binary linear codes have been proposed by Vontobel and Koetter,
henceforth called the basic LCLP decoding algorithm and the subgradient LCLP
decoding algorithm.
In this paper, we generalize these LCLP decoding algorithms to nonbinary
linear codes. The computational complexity per iteration of the proposed
nonbinary LCLP decoding algorithms scales linearly with the block length of the
code. A modified BCJR algorithm for efficient check-node calculations in the
nonbinary basic LCLP decoding algorithm is also proposed, which has complexity
linear in the check node degree.
Several simulation results are presented for nonbinary LDPC codes defined
over Z_4, GF(4), and GF(8) using quaternary phase-shift keying and
8-phase-shift keying, respectively, over the AWGN channel. It is shown that for
some group-structured LDPC codes, the error-correcting performance of the
nonbinary LCLP decoding algorithms is similar to or better than that of the
min-sum decoding algorithm.Comment: To appear in IEEE Transactions on Communications, 201
Hydrogen absorption properties of amorphous (Ni0.6Nb0.4−yTay)100−xZrx membranes
Ni based amorphous materials have great potential as hydrogen purification membranes. In the present work
the melt spun (Ni0.6Nb0.4−yTay)100−xZrx with y=0, 0.1 and x=20, 30 was studied. The result of X-ray diffraction
spectra of the ribbons showed an amorphous nature of the alloys. Heating these ribbons below T < 400 °C, even
in a hydrogen atmosphere (1−10 bar), the amorphous structure was retained. The crystallization process was
characterized by differential thermal analysis and the activation energy of such process was obtained. The
hydrogen absorption properties of the samples in their amorphous state were studied by the volumetric method,
and the results showed that the addition of Ta did not significantly influence the absorption properties, a clear
change of the hydrogen solubility was observed with the variation of the Zr content. The values of the
hydrogenation enthalpy changed from ~37 kJ/mol for x=30 to ~9 kJ/mol for x=20. The analysis of the
volumetric data provides the indications about the hydrogen occupation sites during hydrogenation, suggesting
that at the beginning of the absorption process the deepest energy levels are occupied, while only shallower
energy levels are available at higher hydrogen content, with the available interstitial sites forming a continuum
of energy levels
A Collagen‐Glycosaminoglycan‐Fibrin Scaffold For Heart Valve Tissue Engineering Applications
The field of heart valve biology and tissue engineering a heart valve continue to expand. The presentatio ns at this meeting reflect the advances made in both areas due to the multi-disciplinary approach taken by many laboratories
A New Reinforced Fibrin Collagen Glycosaminoglycan Material to Resist Tissue Contraction in Heart Valves
A crosslinked, multicomponent scaffold of collagen, GAG and fibrin has been characterised for heart valve applications. Fibrin gels reinforced with a 0.75% collagen, 0.044% GAG scaffolds can resist VSMC induced contraction significantly more than fibrin-only gels, while allowing cell proliferation and maintaining excellent cell viability. This improvement in structural integrity may facilitate the use of fibrin based materials for heart valve tissue engineering
Experimentation of Electrospray Methodology with Carbon Nanotubes
The focus of the research was design, economically building, and testing of an electrospray platform which will be employed to deposit uniform coatings of carbon nanomaterials to large surfaces. Electrospray, also known as electrohydrodynamic spray or e-spray, is a liquid atomization technique that can generate fine droplets to produce coatings with a high degree of uniformity. The carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and graphene dispersions in water are particularly attractive due to their bulk processing, ease of storage, freedom for tuning the concentration, and for their potential applications in biology and aerospace. This Electrospray platform will be used to apply CNT films, with varying quantities of graphene, that will carry a charge across non-conductive surfaces to act as a de-icing element for aircraft and spacecraft structures. This platform will be utilized for coating large area of non-conductive surfaces which will carry a charge across the structure to act as a de-icing element for aircraft and spacecraft structures
Blowtooth: a provocative pervasive game for smuggling virtual drugs through real airport security
In this paper we describe a pervasive game, Blowtooth, in which players use their mobile phones to hide virtual drugs on nearby airline passengers in real airport check-in queues. After passing through airport security, the player must find and recover their drugs from the innocent bystanders, without them ever realizing they were involved in the game. The game explores the nature of pervasive game playing in environments that are not, generally, regarded as playful or “fun”. This paper describes the game’s design and implementation as well as an evaluation conducted with participants in real airports. It explores the players’ reactions to the game through questionnaire responses and in-game activity. The technologies used in Blowtooth are, intentionally, simple in order for the enjoyment of the game to be reliant more on the physical environment rather than the enabling technologies. We conclude that situating pervasive games in unexpected and challenging environments, such as international airports, may provide interesting and unique gaming experiences for players. In addition, we argue that pervasive games benefit most from using the specific features and nature of interesting real-world environments rather than focusing on the enabling technologies
Development of Electrospray for Applications of Nanomaterials
The focus of the research was design, economically building, and testing of an electrospray platform which will be employed to deposit uniform coatings of carbon nanomaterials to large surfaces. Electrospray, also known as electrohydrodynamic spray or e-spray, is a liquid atomization technique that can generate fine droplets to produce coatings with a high degree of uniformity. The carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and graphene dispersions in water are particularly attractive due to their bulk processing, ease of storage, freedom for tuning the concentration, and for their potential applications in biology and aerospace. The substrates such as polyethylene terephthalate (PET), Kapton tape, and non-metallic surfaces have been utilized for coating. The characterization methods include measurement of the roughness, the toughness of the films, scanning electron microscope for imaging, resistance, and transmittance of the films (for PET and Kapton). This platform will be utilized for coating large area of non-conductive surfaces which will carry a charge across the structure to act as a de-icing element for aircraft and spacecraft structures
Response of the Brazilian gravitational wave detector to signals from a black hole ringdown
It is assumed that a black hole can be disturbed in such a way that a
ringdown gravitational wave would be generated. This ringdown waveform is well
understood and is modelled as an exponentially damped sinusoid. In this work we
use this kind of waveform to study the performance of the SCHENBERG
gravitational wave detector. This first realistic simulation will help us to
develop strategies for the signal analysis of this Brazilian detector. We
calculated the signal-to-noise ratio as a function of frequency for the
simulated signals and obtained results that show that SCHENBERG is expected to
be sensitive enough to detect this kind of signal up to a distance of .Comment: 5 pages, 4 figures, Amaldi 5 Conference Proceedings contribution.
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